Who says you can’t get aural satisfaction from something just 3 inches (7.6cm) in length, well with the Rode VideoMicro you can! It is designed for vlogging and generally improving your audio quality over the frankly bloody awful onboard microphones. This highly directional microphone (surprisingly so) does a fantastic job of instantly improving the audio from your camera.

The microphone packaging is stylish and well thought out, the image on the front of the box shows you how it should be orientated in the lyre for use with the gold dot and Rode logo at the top and centred.

The microphone itself is made from machined aluminium (aluminum in the USA) so should stand up to years of use and being put in bags and travelled with.

what’s included:

A furry deadcat windjammer.

A Rycote Lyre suspension mount.

A red coiled 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable (an optional TRS to TRRRS cable is available for use with the Apple iPhone).

An instruction sheet.

2 year warranty (on Registration).

Optional accessories are:

3 metre extension cable the VC1 (which I have)

Rode tripod

On opening the box the deadcat looks like it has expanded into the packaging and trying to escape, but a bit of gentle stroking soon gets it looking as it should and the bad hair day is gone. Inside the opening there is a lip which locates into a grove machined into the microphone and a larger rear groove does exactly the same for the Rycote Lyre, to install the microphone turn it round and push the rear of the mic into the lyre until it locates fully then pull on the deadcat until likewise.

In use I find this well-made microphone to sound superb. It is a big improvement over the on-board microphones and for nature lovers and storm chasers this microphone may be your perfect video mic as it is very good at picking up birdsong and isolating it from other distracting sound like roads etc. I have shot videos in several different and sometimes testing situations like out of a steam train window at 20mph or birds singing and even heavy rain, please watch the videos to see for yourself how this microphone performs.

Rode VideoMicro in packaging.

Rode VideoMicro open box

Rode VideoMicro with Rycote Lyre and WS9 dead cat

Rode VideoMicro mounted in the Rycote Lyre with WS 9 installed.

Sony HDR-PJ620 with Rode VideoMicro

Sony HDR-PJ620 with Rode VideoMicro and WS9 dead cat removed.

Sony HDR-PJ620 with Rode VideoMicro and WS9 dead cat removed.

Sony FDR-PJ620 with ROde VideoMicro mounted.

It is certainly a sensitive microphone that could probably be used with a field recorder as a pair… I might have to try this at somepoint.. as the Rycote Lyre has a 3/8 thread for mounting on a boom pole and yes Rode has made a very nice carbon fibre boom pole for use with the VideoMicro. If you plan to have the VideoMicro to use with both a camcorder/DSLR and also use it with your mobile phone or tablet you may need the optional SC-7 cable which is TRS to TRRS for use with the iPhone or iPad.

Is the cousin of the VideoMicro and is designed for phone shooters like journalists for interviews etc, and a clever clamp pushes gently but firmly against the opposite side of the microphone and the same deadcat is included.